Tunisia's 2027 Finance Bill and Real Estate: What the Draft Law Provides
⟳ Machine translation
The draft 2027 finance bill, sent to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP) on 15 October 2026, contains six measures that affect real estate. For buyers, the most important is Article 30: the progressive registration duty scale (1% to 5%), so far reserved for building plots, would apply to the first purchase of a home, once per buyer. For developers, the text exempts public land earmarked for kiré moumalek (rent-to-own) and social housing from the tax on undeveloped land, but keeps real estate development out of the tax exemption for new companies.
Nothing has been voted yet. The law is scheduled to apply from 1 January 2027 (Article 70 of the draft). We read all 70 articles of the Arabic text: here is what concerns real estate, what remains unclear, and what the draft leaves untouched.
Tunisia's 2027 finance bill and real estate at a glance
The 2027 draft finance bill extends the progressive registration duty (1% to 5%) to a buyer's first home purchase, exempts public land for kiré moumalek and social housing from the tax on undeveloped land, excludes real estate development from the new-company tax exemption and aligns VAT on property leasing with VAT on a purchase.
| Article of the draft | Measure | Who is affected | Scheduled effective date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 30 | Progressive scale of Art. 20 No. 4 of the Registration and Stamp Duties Code applied to the first purchase of a home, once per buyer | First-time buyers | 1 January 2027 | Draft |
| Art. 29 | Exemption from the tax on undeveloped land | Public developers (kiré moumalek, instalment sales, social housing) | 2026 to 2030 | Draft |
| Art. 22 | Tax exemption for new companies, real estate development excluded | Companies created between 2027 and 2030 | Investment declarations from 2027 to 2030 | Draft |
| Art. 58 | VAT on leasing and ijara aligned with VAT on purchase, including buildings | Companies and professionals using leasing or ijara | 1 January 2027 | Draft |
| Art. 49 and 50 | Storage batteries exempt at import, customs duty cut to 10% on solar panels | Homeowners, installers | 1 January 2027 | Draft |
| Art. 33 | 3 TND contribution per non-life insurance contract taken out by an individual | Home insurance holders, borrowers | 1 January 2027 | Draft |
Download the official text:
2027 draft finance bill (PDF, in Arabic, 52 pages, 1.6 MB). The same text is published by the ARP on arp.tn.
First home: what Article 30 changes for registration duties
Article 30 adds an Article 21 bis to the Registration and Stamp Duties Code. It applies the rate set out in No. 4 of Article 20 to the first purchase of a home, once per buyer. This may be the most tangible change in the text for individuals, especially for resale homes. The open question is how a scale designed for land will apply to an apartment.
The Article 20 No. 4 scale as it stands today
Today, this rate only applies to plots bought to build a single-family home. It is calculated by surface band:
- 1% up to 120 m²;
- 2% from 120.001 to 300 m²;
- 3% from 300.001 to 600 m²;
- 5% above 600 m².
The buyer must state in the deed that they will build their home on the plot. If they resell before building, or change the use, they lose the benefit and pay the balance with penalties (Article 21 of the Code). Since the 2024 finance law, this progressive duty is granted only once per buyer, for their first plot: on a second purchase, the standard 5% proportional duty on property sales applies, as the tax legislation directorate (DGELF) clarified in its common note No. 05/2024.
Worked example: what the scale changes on a plot
Take a 450 m² plot sold at 600 TND per square metre, i.e. 270,000 TND, bought to build a home (price chosen for illustration).
| Band | Calculation | Duty |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 120 m² at 1% | 120 × 600 × 1% | 720 TND |
| 120 to 300 m² at 2% | 180 × 600 × 2% | 2,160 TND |
| 300 to 450 m² at 3% | 150 × 600 × 3% | 2,700 TND |
| Total progressive scale | 5,580 TND | |
| 5% proportional duty | 270,000 × 5% | 13,500 TND |
The gap is 7,920 TND on this file, excluding the land registration fee, which is due in both cases. That order of magnitude is why Article 30 is getting attention. But be careful: this calculation applies to a plot. For an apartment, the calculation base is not yet known, so nobody can honestly put a figure on the saving today.
What the draft does not specify
Article 30 is a single sentence. It does not say:
- which surface the scale is calculated on for a home (living area, share of land, another base);
- whether there is a cap on price or surface;
- whether the home must be the buyer's main residence;
- whether the benefit covers new builds, resale homes or both, whoever the seller is;
- whether a buyer who already used the scale for a plot can still use it for a home;
- which forfeiture conditions would apply in case of a quick resale;
- whether the reference date is the signing of the deed or its registration.
These points will depend on the adopted text, possible amendments or a DGELF common note. Our honest advice: be wary of any listing that promises "1% fees" on an apartment before these rules are published.
New build from a developer or resale from an individual: who is really affected?
Article 30 does not affect everyone in the same way, because new builds already enjoy a favourable regime.
- New home bought from an approved developer: the first sale of a home built by a developer is already exempt from the 3% proportional duty up to a value raised to 500,000 TND by the 2022 finance law (Article 23 bis of Law No. 90-17, see DGELF common note No. 07/2022). Below that threshold, the deed bears a fixed duty. Article 30 would therefore add little for these buyers.
- Resale home bought from an individual: the 5% proportional duty applies today. This is where Article 30 could make the biggest difference, depending on the calculation base adopted.
If you are signing for a 380,000 TND new build with an approved developer, do not delay your project for Article 30. If you are buying a resale home and the sale is not urgent, talk to your notary: waiting for the text to be published in the JORT can make sense, but never sign a promise of sale conditional on a measure that has not been voted. Whatever the scenario, rework your financing plan with the menzili.tn mortgage simulator: registration duties come out of your down payment, not the loan.
Kiré moumalek and social housing: undeveloped land tax exemption for public developers (Art. 29)
Article 29 adds two exemption cases to Article 32 of the Local Taxation Code, which governs the tax on undeveloped land. It covers undeveloped land owned by public real estate developers and earmarked for the "kiré moumalek" (rent-to-own) or instalment sale programme, as well as for the specific social housing programme, for the period 2026 to 2030.
Three remarks. First, only the public developers in charge of these programmes are concerned: a private developer holding a land bank keeps paying the tax. Second, the period starts in 2026 while the law is due to apply from 1 January 2027; how the tax due for 2026 will be handled remains to be confirmed. Finally, the effect for families is indirect: the measure lowers the carrying cost of land awaiting construction, with no guarantee that it will feed through to rent-to-own instalments or timelines.
Our reading: a useful but technical measure. It will change nothing for a family in Kasserine or Ben Arous if construction does not start.
Real estate development excluded from the new-company exemption (Art. 22)
Article 22 renews the scheme of Article 33 of the 2024 finance law, "under the same conditions", for newly created companies that obtain a certificate of filing of an investment declaration between 1 January 2027 and the end of December 2030. Real estate development remains excluded, as do the financial sector, energy other than renewables, mining, on-site consumption, trade and telecom network operators.
As a reminder, the 2024 scheme provides an income tax or corporate tax exemption for four years from the effective start of activity, which must occur within two years of the investment declaration. These conditions should be checked against the text of the 2024 finance law at the time of the vote.
In practice, a developer who creates a new company to carry a programme in 2027 will not benefit. Real estate agencies, property managers or construction firms are not on the exclusion list, but their eligibility will depend on how their activity is classified: to be confirmed with the tax administration. Launching an agency in 2027? Have your activity code validated before building your business plan on this exemption.
Property leasing and ijara: VAT follows the purchase regime (Art. 58)
Article 58 amends Article 5 of Law No. 94-90 on leasing and Article 28 of the 2012 finance law on ijara. Amounts due under a leasing or ijara contract covering equipment, machinery or buildings would be subject to the same VAT regime as the purchase of the asset.
The principle is simple: leasing business premises, a warehouse or an office floor should no longer be treated differently, for VAT, from buying the same property outright. Details for each type of property, in particular buildings that enjoy a preferential regime on purchase, will come in a DGELF common note after the vote.
Who is affected? Mainly companies, independent professionals and traders who finance their premises through leasing with a leasing company or through ijara with an Islamic bank. Before signing a property leasing contract in late 2026, ask for a simulation of the instalments under the old and the new regime.
Energy at home: batteries exempted, solar panels at 10% (Art. 49 and 50)
Article 49 exempts batteries for electricity storage (tariff heading 8507) from customs duties, VAT and the contribution to the competitiveness fund for industry, services and crafts (FODEC) at import, after a technical opinion from the Ministry of Industry. Article 50 cuts customs duties on solar panels (heading 8541) to 10% and repeals Article 62 of the 2026 finance law, whose content is to be confirmed.
For an owner planning a solar installation with storage, in Sfax, Djerba or Greater Tunis, this is good news on paper. On paper only: a cut in import duties does not automatically become a lower price from the installer. If your project can wait until January, ask for two quotes, one dated 2026 and a price commitment for 2027.
For sellers, a house already fitted with panels and batteries remains a selling point to highlight in a listing, with production figures to back it up.
Home insurance and mortgages: 3 TND contribution per contract (Art. 33)
Article 33 rewrites the resources of the Policyholders' Guarantee Fund, created by the 2001 finance law. It sets a policyholder contribution of 3 TND per year for each individual non-life insurance contract, or temporary life insurance contract, taken out by an individual, paid at subscription or renewal. It is 30 TND for a legal entity and 3 TND per membership for group contracts. Insurers, for their part, pay 1% of premiums, excluding life insurance and capitalisation.
For a first-time buyer, this covers home insurance (non-life) and, in most cases, the death cover linked to the loan, which is usually a temporary life policy or membership of a bank's group contract. As the text entirely replaces Article 36 of the 2001 finance law, it remains to be checked whether this contribution is new or replaces an existing levy. A few dinars a year: it will not be a reason to choose one insurer over another.
What the 2027 draft finance bill does not provide
Of the 70 articles in the draft, none deals with the following topics:
- the draft provides no measure on capital gains on property;
- the draft provides no measure on taxing vacant homes;
- the draft provides no measure on the VAT rate on home sales by developers;
- the draft provides no measure on taxing rental income;
- the draft provides no measure on the wealth tax, reformed by the 2026 finance law.
These topics remain governed by the texts in force, which we cover in our article on VAT on new homes. One point to watch: amendments can add measures during the parliamentary debate. What is not in the October draft may still be in the December law.
Timeline: from draft bill to Official Gazette
The draft follows the usual budget procedure, with two chambers. Dates after 16 October are indicative.
- 15 October 2026: draft sent to the ARP.
- 16 October 2026: meeting of the ARP bureau, then referral to the finance and planning committee.
- November: committee review, then debate and plenary vote at the ARP.
- Early December: review by the National Council of Regions and Districts, with a joint committee in case of disagreement.
- December: promulgation by the President of the Republic and publication in the Official Gazette (JORT).
- 1 January 2027: scheduled entry into force (Article 70), subject to contrary provisions.
A useful benchmark: for the 2026 finance law, the ARP voted on 4 December 2025, the National Council of Regions and Districts on 7 December, and the text was published in the JORT on 12 December. We will update this article as soon as it is published.
FAQ: Tunisia's 2027 finance bill and real estate
Will registration duties go down for a first home in 2027? That is what Article 30 of the draft provides, applying to a first home purchase the progressive 1% to 5% scale currently reserved for building plots. The measure has not been voted, and its calculation base for an apartment is not specified.
Who will be eligible for the first-home rate? According to the draft, every buyer for their first purchase of a home, once. The text specifies no price cap, no main residence condition and no link with a benefit already used for a plot.
I am buying a new apartment from a developer: am I affected? Probably only marginally. The first sale of a home by an approved developer is already exempt from the 3% proportional duty up to a value of 500,000 TND. Article 30 mainly concerns resale purchases, taxed at 5% today.
When does the 2027 finance law come into force? The draft provides for application from 1 January 2027, subject to contrary provisions. It must first be voted by the ARP and the National Council of Regions and Districts, then published in the JORT, in principle before the end of December 2026.
Does the draft change the taxation of capital gains on property? No: the draft provides no measure on capital gains on property, nor on rental income or developers' VAT. Amendments remain possible during the parliamentary debate.
Do real estate developers benefit from the 2027 draft finance bill? Public developers do: their land earmarked for kiré moumalek and social housing would be exempt from the tax on undeveloped land from 2026 to 2030. Private developers remain excluded from the new-company exemption under Article 22.
Prepare your purchase without waiting for the vote
The vote does not change the essentials: the right property, at the right price, with solid financing. Compare apartments and houses for sale and rentals on menzili.tn, the property listings portal in Tunisia covering all 24 governorates, and reread our guide to the promise of sale before committing. Are you an agency? Create your professional account to publish your properties.